Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
Warning: This chapter may be a little fast-paced, and deals with more characters than just Chiba and Hayami. It's also a lot longer than my usual chapters.
It's a notice from the Chairman.
Hayami stared blankly at the pristine sheet in front of her. She would belong in a class of misfits and delinquents. She would be isolated from the rest of the school.
She would be dropped down to Class 3-E.
The rest of the class sniggered, save for the ones that had also received their notices. Head bowed low, Chiba's hands trembled, trying to convince himself the words on the notice weren't real.
Chiba Ryuunosuke,
It is with much regret that I inform you your grades have not met the standard of the form, and you will be in Class 3-E starting from April.
In order to help you accommodate, you will be taking your classes in the 3-E campus starting from March.
Attached in the appendix are a list of rules 3-E students must follow.
Signed,
Chairman Asano
Chiba had tried so hard so get his grades up and manage his superhero duties at the same, but he had failed.
Sure, he and Ladybug had done their best to protect their town, but after patrols and fights, they were sapped of their energy. Combined with their schoolwork and studies, they became utterly exhausted.
And now he had to face the consequences by being the laughing stock of the school. He shook his head, frustrated with himself.
"Wow, I thought that guy's smart…" a classmate chortled, and Chiba stiffened.
"Yeah, we always asked him to help us. Guess he's just a mindless working machine…"
Chiba thought about how his teachers and family would be so disappointed in him. He felt like he had let everyone down, the guilt like a heavy weight on his shoulders.
Hayami tried to tune out the noise of the other classmates chattering about them. A bitter feeling rose in her chest and it filled her with despair and overwhelming disappointment.
I'm not good enough. I'm never good enough.
There she sat, frozen and numb. Hayami wished Tikki could talk to her and comfort her, but they were in public. Once the bell for break rang, Hayami immediately stepped out of the room, ignoring her classmates' judgemental looks.
Once Hayami was in the corridors, a flash of gold caught her eye. There was her first friend in this school, Nakamura, but instead of her usual carefree look, her expression was grim and the cheeky glint in her eyes were not present. It was unnerving for Hayami to see her loud, goofy friend so quiet and serious. Her blue eyes widened a bit when she saw Hayami, but they were quickly filled with sadness with a hint of shame. Nakamura blinked, and in a flash her emotions were concealed.
"Nakamura," Hayami greeted. She noted that her voice sounded tired.
"Rinka-chan," Nakamura sidled up to her. She gave her friend a small smile but to Hayami it seemed forced. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we can be in the same class next year. You have to find someone else to do group projects with, I guess."
Hayami sized Nakamura up, from her weird statement to her posture. Nakamura mouthed "3-E" and continued to smile as if nothing had happened, but it lacked her usual energy.
"Oh." At first, Hayami didn't know what to say. From what she'd seen, Nakamura was a born genius, unlike her. Hayami only managed to get good grades through hard work, while Nakamura got hers through natural intelligence. If Nakamura worked hard, she would surely be the top of the form. Hayami was a little confused, but she didn't want to hurt Nakamura's feelings.
"I, umm, don't think we'll have that problem." Hayami stared at her shoes. "Because I got into your class too…"
It took Hayami a lot of courage to admit that, because Nakamura knew she worked very hard, but despite Hayami's efforts, she wasn't able to excel.
Thankfully, if Nakamura was surprised, she didn't show it. She flung an arm around Hayami and grinned. "Wow great, we'll be in the same class! At least we'll have each other!"
Hayami was selfishly glad that Nakamura had gotten into 3-E too, so she would have a companion. But she quickly reprimanded herself for that. Nakamura was a smart person, she shouldn't associate herself with mindless fools like Hayami.
"Yeah, that's right," Hayami managed to get out. She knew Nakamura was trying to make her feel better, so she shouldn't look so solemn.
On the bright side, Hayami wouldn't have to worry about being dropped to 3-E, because she was already sent there. The workload would probably be significantly less and she could dedicate more time to fighting crime. Maybe if she and Black Cat worked hard enough, they could defeat Kochou that year.
Hayami didn't allow her emotions to control her for too long. Her response to failure was basically "I will work harder". The girl set new goals for herself, but even that couldn't distract her from the disappointment she would face at home.
Hayami stared at the door of her apartment. Her mother didn't spend much time with her, but Hayami knew she would have to eventually face her at dinner. Her mother was rather demanding and a wave of guilt washed over the young girl again, feeling like she'd let her mother down.
Hayami took a deep breath, and opened the door to her empty house.
Chiba hated it.
He hated the disappointed looks from his parents. He hated how they'd just sighed when he showed them the notice. He hated how they just quietly went in their room, too tired to even scold him.
Chiba would honestly rather have his parents yell and scream at him until their voices were hoarse. But this silent treatment was like his parents giving up on him. As if there wasn't any hope for him.
And Chiba hated that more than anything else.
He wanted to prove he was useful too.
The boy fell face-down in his bed, not even caring if his bangs became messy. His school bag gave a audible thump as he dropped it, echoing through the noiseless household.
"I hate this…" he muttered, words slightly muffled.
Plagg zoomed out of the bag, not knowing what to say. His holder rarely complained, so when he did, something must be affecting him greatly. Plagg cautiously sat on the bed, then in a rare show of affection, he leaned against Chiba's cheek, offering support. The boy slowly looked up. One of Chiba's red eyes was visible, which stared miserably at Plagg, and it made Plagg sad just by seeing his state.
The kwami was a bit taken aback by Chiba's show of raw emotions. Sure, Plagg had seen Chiba's eyes before, but not when he was emotionally vulnerable.
Chiba burrowed his face in his pillow, not willing to face the world at that moment. A single tear leaked out of his eye and dampened the fabric of the pillow.
Plagg heard Chiba's phone vibrate, and he saw there was a new notification. Curiously, he flew towards the phone and dragged it back in front of his holder's face.
"Hey, kid," Plagg said in a raspier voice than usual. "Look."
Chiba blearily opened his eyes. Plagg might be insensitive at times, but Chiba was sure his kwami genuinely wanted to help him. The notification was from a post on the Ladyblog.
Hinano: To all those people who are feeling sad and worthless right now, it's okay. We all have our weak moments. When I was freed from my akumatization, I felt really guilty, but Ladybug was there to comfort me. She said, "Everyone has their bad days. Tomorrow will be a new one." So, we shouldn't remain in the past for too long and work towards our future! Let's do our best!
Hinano… The name spun in Chiba's mind and then he remembered that was Kurahashi's given name. She had also been akumatized and had turned him into a cat.
Yes, it made sense for his cheerful classmate to be encouraging. Chiba vaguely recalled she was also sent down to 3-E. It was probably difficult for Kurahashi to remain optimistic despite the circumstances, but she somehow did it.
Maybe it was because of her post, maybe it wasn't, but the twenty-six students who had received their notices never got akumatized that day.
Black Cat felt slightly better during patrol. There was something about the freedom of running on rooftops under the cover of the night that always managed to lift his mood, even just by a bit.
He sat on the edge of the town library, waiting for his fellow superhero.
A minute later, Ladybug arrived, looking even more serious than ever. She stepped close to Black Cat and said, "Let's start."
"Wait." A lit up screen slid out from Black Cat's baton, and he held it close to Ladybug's face as a light source. He frowned, and Ladybug swallowed, knowing what he'd seen.
"You've been slapped," he accused, peering at the slightly red mark on Ladybug's right cheek. She instinctively placed a hand over it, hiding the mark from view. "It's nothing," she said automatically.
Obviously, Black Cat wasn't going to take that as an answer. A thousand questions ran through his mind. Who had hurt her? Was she slapped in her civilian form? Did her parents do that? "You can trust me, Ladybug."
Yes, I know. Ladybug stared into his eyes. If it wasn't Black Cat in front of her, she would've coldly turned away and she would've tried to use makeup to cover it up. But this was her friend and her partner.
"Well," Ladybug rubbed at her arms self-consciously. "My grades haven't been good lately because of… other duties, so my mother got angry and… and then she slapped me."
A spike of anger flashed in Black Cat's eyes, and his fake cat ears, which had been lying flat all night, instantly stood up.
Noticing his aggressive behavior (which was similar to a cat's), Ladybug reassured him, "It doesn't happen often. I'm pretty much okay." She moved forward and lightly scratched Black Cat's chin, which calmed him down immediately.
"You know, my grades have also suffered…" Black Cat admitted. "I guess being a superhero has its costs. I have less time to study."
"Same here."
"Did your mom scold you?"
"Ah, yes. I got an earful."
"That's almost nice," he muttered thoughtfully. Upon seeing his partner's confused look, he elaborated, "My parents didn't even want to talk to me. At least you know your mother cares because she scolds you."
"That's a new perspective," Ladybug replied. She wondered if she would've felt worse if her mother didn't say a word about her grades. And then, she noticed his ears were drooping again, and that dampened her mood.
"Umm hey," she got out awkwardly. "You want a hug?"
He nodded, and she hugged him briefly, enjoying the warmth of his body. Ladybug was aware that this was the first time they'd hugged, and probably was the first time she'd hugged a boy too. A pleasant feeling settled down inside her, making her feel safe. Due to them not being big on physical contact, she pulled away quickly.
The two shuffled away, both of them a bit embarrassed by the hug. Usually Black Cat was apathetic to Ladybug's shows of affection (like petting his head), but he kind of liked hugging Ladybug.
"Let's get going, then."
The classroom was quiet. Hayami stared at the creaky, wooden floorboards underneath her feet.
This campus is really rundown.
She anxiously fidgeted with her fingers. Starting from today, the 1st of March, she would be taking her classes in the 3-E campus. When she and Nakamura (they had decided to meet up) went up the stairs, the other students had laughed and scorned them.
There was already a seating plan taped to the blackboard. Hayami was thankful that Nakamura was sitting right in front of her.
She had arrived early, so only some of her classmates were present at the moment. Hayami spun and to her dread, Okajima was next to her.
Yet, even though Hayami didn't like Okajima because of his perverted ways, she was oddly relieved to see him. She had shared classes with Okajima for two years, and they would spend their final year in the same class too. It became a daily routine to purposely ignore him. Strangely enough, Hayami would find herself missing him if he wasn't in the same class. It was a bit unsettling to be near him because she knew Okajima had a crush on her alter ego, but it didn't matter anyway. He didn't know she was Ladybug.
Hayami looked at bit further and saw Chiba sitting behind Okajima. The boys had their heads lowered. She bit her lip, and returned to staring at her desk like everyone else.
As the clock ticked, more students filed into the classroom, until most of them were present. Chiba was surprised that even Isogai, who had one of the best grades of the form, was in 3-E. He caught sight of a little blue-haired girl- wait, judging from the uniform, he was a boy. But even so, he was pretty short.
Once the bell rang, a young teacher walked into the room, and beamed upon her students. "Good morning class! My name is Yukimura Aguri, so please call be Yukimura-sensei! Starting from today, I'll be your-" she stopped abruptly when she realized no one was listening. Aguri cocked her head.
"Is- is something wrong?" Aguri asked nervously.
"Sensei," Maehara said, effectively breaking the awkward atmosphere in the classroom. "What's up with that weird shirt?"
"Huh?" Aguri looked down at her shirt, which had a long, flowery green creature on it, with wide eyes and a comical smile. Unknownst to her, the students thought the colours clashed together, and combined with the unknown creature, they thought it was a weird design. "It's a cute T-shirt!" she protested.
Our new teacher has a funny taste in clothes, the class thought in unison, sweatdropping.
"All right! I'll be taking the attendance," Aguri continued cheerfully. She took out the tattered book and laid it on the teacher's desk.
As the teacher called out names, Chiba realized that everyone except the student behind him was present. A shiver ran down his spine; so the infamous, cunning delinquent Akabane Karma was going to sit behind him? Chiba heard he had gotten suspended, and he did not want to mingle with delinquents at all.
At lunch, Hayami sat with Yada, Kurahashi and Nakamura, while Chiba sat with Sugaya and Okajima. A boy called Kimura asked to sit with them and they agreed. The atmosphere was still a bit gloomy, although the class had a good laugh when talking about their teacher's clothes. Kurahashi and Nakamura were the only people talking actively in the room, which attracted everyone else's attention.
"Rio-chan, is that spaghetti?"
"Yeah, it's more interesting than the plain old bentos," Nakamura replied, twirling the spaghetti strands with her fork.
"Ehh, bentos taste good too!"
Hayami quietly spooned rice in her mouth, feeling a bit out of place with her chatty friends.
"Hey, what do you think of our teacher?" Nakamura asked out of the blue. Hayami could never get how Nakamura could swiftly switch conversation topics.
"I like Yukimura-sensei," Kurahashi answered, quickly adapting to the new topic. "She's nice and she's really passionate about teaching!"
"The only bad thing about her is her weird clothes. Does she seriously think they're fashionable or is she playing a joke?" Nakamura stretched out her legs and yawned, completely ignoring that she was wearing a skirt. Unfortunately, somebody happened to pass by and tripped over one of Nakamura's legs.
"Sorry about that…" Nakamura looked at the person, vaguely recalling a name from the attendance check, "Shiota-san? Or is it…" Nakamura observed the person's little figure and blue ponytail. "Shiota-kun?"
"Ah, I'm actually a boy," he pushed himself up from the ground, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Just call me Nagisa."
"Alright, Nagisa-kun, sorry for tripping you." Nakamura looked like she still didn't believe Nagisa was a boy. Hayami stifled a grin at the sight of Nakamura's dramatically raised eyebrows. "You look a lot like a girl though."
"I get that often…" Nagisa rubbed where his head made contact with the floor, wincing slightly. The girls watched as he went back to his table.
"Hmm," Nakamura crossed her arms, her attention now grabbed by the blue-haired boy. "If he was wearing a skirt, I would've thought he was a girl. Oy, Nagisa-kun!" she yelled to the other side of the room. "Let's put you in a maid costume! I bet you'll look cute in it!"
Nagisa's usual calm, unaffected demeanor changed in a second. "I'll rather not, Nakamura-san!" he yelled back quickly, face scorching.
"Heh, he looks like an interesting person…" Nakamura drawled, while Hayami and Yada shared a knowing look. Nakamura always complained that the boys at their school were boring, so was that boy an exception?
Meanwhile, Aguri stood by the classroom door, only hearing the clacking of cutlery instead of the boisterous chattering of middle-school students. A slight frown appeared on her face; she wanted to cheer them up and educate them the best she could, but Aguri knew she was being threatened to quit her teaching job to work full-time at the facility. Aguri didn't have much of a choice, nor did she have a lot of time left to nurture her fresh batch of students. She knew how 3-E students usually were, and she desperately wanted to reignite their hope and passion. Aguri sighed as she remembered her last class. They had all liked her and respected her, but they were still as low-spirited as ever. It saddened her to see them so discouraged and wasting their precious lives. Thank goodness her younger sister was an optimistic and determination individual.
"Good afternoon," she said politely as she entered the quiet, pristine room, a clipboard in her hand. Her "patient" of sorts, a young man, was staring at the wall, a calm expression on his face. But she knew better than to judge him by his appearance.
"Ah. Good afternoon," the man spun to look at her, black hair falling over his forehead. He raised an eyebrow. "Good to see your fashion taste is as… consistent as ever."
She crossed her arms protectively over her chest and pouted. "Hmph, stop teasing me! My new students thought the same too."
"New students?" he said in interest. "Ah, so it's that time of the year again."
"The school system is so unfair," she muttered. "Just because their grades might not be the best doesn't mean they're all useless! And they all seemed to have given up on their lives." She stepped closer to the wall separating them, big eyes gazing at his, and continued, "They have a lot of potential but what if they wasted it or used it for the wrong purposes? Teachers aren't just teachers, they have to guide the students too."
He felt like her last few sentences were directed towards him. He remembered how his first student ended up betraying him. And now he had to pay the price for not teaching him well. He distinctly heard the sound of footsteps outside the room, and quietly said, "You should hurry up."
"Ah right, sorry." She scurried around the room, quickly jotting down figures. He watched her every move. The footsteps became closer and she began to panic, hands trembling.
"Don't worry, if that Yanagisawa tries to hit you, I'll just kill him when I escape later," the man said nonchalantly, a hand poised on the transparent wall, ready to punch if it was needed. It was at times like this she remembered the man she saw on a daily basis was not like any other man. She wrote down her last observation, and put her pen down.
"I'm done. See you tomorrow," she managed to say cheerfully.
"Ah, see you tomorrow."
"Your old homeroom teachers from the main campus gave your tests back," Aguri announced, placing a stack of paper on the teacher's desk. The class groaned internally- surely the teachers did it deliberately to further damage their pride. Receiving their low scores was just another way to mock at the E-as-in-End class.
"They had written down comments for you to improve," Aguri continued, but even she knew their so-called "comments" were just scathing insults about the "stupidity" of 3-E students. "Well, I'll distribute them."
Sugaya gulped upon hearing his teacher say that. He had a (bad) habit of drawing on the test papers, and from what he'd remembered, he'd drawn a lot of waves, being suddenly inspired by The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Sugaya put in a lot of effort into drawing the water droplets and the way the waves moved instead of actually focusing on his test. Sugaya didn't remember what he had written down for the test, but he did remember he was pleased by his drawing.
A 29 out of 100, Sugaya sighed, his answer sheet riddled with numerous red markings. That was expected. He flipped the sheet of paper to the other side, where his drawing was. To his horror, there were ugly red slashes over his precious wave drawing, crossing it out and permanently destroying it. There was a comment next to it too, which read, "It would be nice if you put in this much effort in studying! Art is impractical."
Something swelled inside the normally calm Sugaya, and he glared daggers at the ruined drawing. He and his classmates had tried so hard to keep their spirits high in order to not be akumatized, but this was the limit. Anger, frustration, sadness, disappointment, every emotion he felt once he knew he was dropped down to 3-E resurfaced in one go. He gripped the sheet so tightly he nearly ripped it, his knuckles white from clenching.
Deep deep down, he knew he was wrong for drawing when he was supposed to do a test. But art skills were about the only thing Sugaya had. He wasn't smart, or charismatic, or athletic. He was just a guy who loved to create.
Yes, Sugaya knew artists didn't really live a comfortable life. Yes, Sugaya knew according to the society, having good grades was more important than doing art.
But Sugaya was a born artist. That was the way he was. And he couldn't change that.
And he absolutely despised it when people didn't appreciate his art. He could pour so much time and effort into a piece of artwork, spend ages making sure it was perfect down to the last stroke, and yet people could still regard it as trash.
Sugaya wasn't one to lose his temper easily. But all of his negative thoughts and feelings were building up and filling him, until Sugaya felt like a balloon about to burst. All of his accumulated stress and misery came crashing down on him at once.
The boy couldn't take it anymore. He crumpled up his paper in a ball, pushed back his chair and stormed out of the classroom. Chiba and Okajima wanted to call for him, but upon seeing Sugaya's unusually grim expression, they decided to give him some space for a while.
Aguri was also worried for her student that had just left the classroom. But contrary to his friends, who left him alone, she also exited the room, in pursuit of Sugaya. She found him standing sullenly in a corner, head bowed low and the crumpled up piece of paper in his head.
"Sugaya-kun?" Aguri called cautiously, approaching the boy with small steps. He didn't move. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"They ruined my drawing," Sugaya stated plainly as if he was a child.
Aguri gently pried the paper from his fist and flattened it. Her eyes widened in surprise. She traced a finger over the pencil strokes, and then she caught sight of the comment by the teacher. "It's a fantastic drawing, Sugaya-kun."
"T-thanks," Sugaya mumbled, not used to the kindness from his teacher.
"Hmm, is it possible to put this on a T-shirt?" Aguri thought out loud. She saw Sugaya's expression, and her face reddened slightly. "I know you kids think my shirts are weird, b-but I just really like your drawing and it's not weird at all…"
"It's fine." Aguri was naturally cheerful and Sugaya found himself feeling better. "It's just that-"
A flapping sound caught their attention, and the teacher-student duo looked up at a purple butterfly that was thrashing against a window, before it slipped between a gap and fluttered in.
"An akuma!" Aguri and Sugaya gasped, instinctively backing away. Aguri stepped forward determinedly, hands spread out. "I won't let you akumatize my student! Get lost!"
The akuma paid no heed and continued to fly towards them. Aguri and Sugaya had reached a wall, and Aguri forced Sugaya to stand behind her, as she tried to swat the butterfly away with a book. "Go away! Don't hurt Sugaya-kun!"
"Yukimura-sensei…" Sugaya was surprised yet grateful his teacher cared so much for him. If he was in the main campus, the teachers would have all ran away, leaving him to suffer on his own. His grey eyes narrowed in determination; he wouldn't let his teacher selflessly protect him.
The akuma was beginning to get too close for comfort, and in panic, Sugaya dug into his pockets and pulled out a pen. He reflectively threw it at the akuma like a dart, and the pen collided with the akuma, both of them dropping to the floor. But unfortunately, Sugaya and Aguri's efforts were in vain, and they watched helplessly as the akuma slipped inside the pen, akumatizing the object.
Aguri whipped her head towards her student, a hand reaching out for his shoulder. "Sugaya-kun, please-"
But it was too late, and the purple outline of Kochou's mask had appeared on Sugaya's face.
"Please, please fight the akuma! You can do it, Sugaya-kun!" Aguri pleaded, both hands on his shoulders now.
Somewhere in his hazy mind, Sugaya was glad he had a teacher that actually cared, but the akuma's influence was too strong. He couldn't even mouth a weak "sorry" before the purple magic consumed him from head to toe. Dressed in a black and white outfit with colourful paint splatters, he pushed Aguri off with one gloved hand. His deep violet eyes stared up at his teacher, swirling black tattoos crawling up his cheek, his dark grey hair now in a little ponytail. There were different tools such as a paintbrush, a pencil and a spray can hanging on his belt. With his other hand, he twirled his pen, which was now black with a neon blue gauge on it.
"Sorry, I'm not Sugaya," the akuma said lightly and continued to twirl the pen. Aguri was frozen with horror. Unexpectedly, he jabbed it at Aguri she instantly became as flat as a sheet, almost as if she was a motionless 2D plane. The akuma took his pencil and swiped it over Aguri's face. Instantly, Aguri became a black and white, life-sized 2D sketch of herself, the rough pencil strokes capturing the scared look in her eyes.
The akuma grinned cheekily, placing his pencil back on his belt.
"I'm Evillustrator."
"Geez, Yukimura-sensei and Sugaya are still out there…" Okajima muttered.
Chiba felt goosebumps on his skin. Ever since Sugaya went out, he had a distinct feeling that something bad would happen.
The door suddenly slid open with more force than necessary. As if on the same brainwave, everyone's eyes snapped to the door.
A boy with a grey ponytail and glowing pen smirked back at them.
Two seats in front of Chiba, Mimura fell out of his chair.
A beat of silence. Chiba's eyes darted to the door, their only means of escape, which was blocked by the akuma. He subconsciously began to fiddle with his ring.
"Sugaya?" Okajima screeched.
The akuma casually sidled up to the desks until he reached Kataoka. He took out his pen, about to touch her-
"No!" a figure screamed and dived in front of Kataoka, her body quickly freezing and turning into a 2D version of her. Kurahashi's hands flew up to her mouth in horror. Touka-chan had sacrificed herself for Kataoka-chan!
Kataoka couldn't react, flabbergasted by Yada's actions. Evillustrator took the chance to quickly touch her with his pen. Instantly, the blue gauge on his pen lowered, and he frowned.
"Run!" Isogai commanded as he helped a stunned Mimura up from the ground. Maehara whipped his head around and grabbed a girl's arm instinctively.
"Hey!" the girl, Okano, kicked him in the shin. "I can leave by myself, thank you very much!"
The classroom sank into chaos, the students rushing out of the classroom. Chiba dashed to the washroom and quickly transformed. Black Cat leapt out, spinning his baton and nearly crashed into Hayami, who was loitering in the corridor.
"E-eh? Why are you here?" Black Cat stammered. "It's not safe!"
"U-umm…" Hayami couldn't speak. She was just about to transform but she was caught off guard by her partner who appeared out of nowhere. Her partner who looked really concerned for her, even when she was just a civilian.
"Please get out," Black Cat's fingers closed around her wrist, and Hayami blushed in surprise. He lead her out of the old building, and she wondered how he had arrived so quickly.
"It's okay, Black Cat. I can take care of myself," Hayami assured him.
"Don't make me worried," he replied, and he ran back to the classroom, where Evillustrator was.
Hayami dashed to the other side of the building where she would be hidden from view. Her heart was pumping quickly due to the excitement and Black Cat. He was worried for her, that meant he cared about her. She shook her head, not wanting to deal with that when she had more important things to do.
"Tikki, spots on!"
Black Cat sprinted to the classroom, and peered in. Kataoka was colour pencil sketch and Yada was a watercolour painting. There were a few upturned desks and a few 2D classmates, and the windows were sprayed with a a colourful array of paint, but there was no akuma in sight. His perception of reality became woozy due to his surroundings looking like a glitch in a computer game, 2D elements melding in a 3D universe. He jerked his head and saw a camouflaged Evillustrator pressed against the wall, his pen laying innocently in a spot of sunlight on a desk. On closer inspection, the blue gauge was filling up, so Black Cat assumed sunlight was the source of this akuma's energy. He leapt towards the akumatized pen, baton stretched out-
Evillustrator slid out from his hiding spot and snatched the pen. He quickly took out a can and sprayed Black Cat with neon green paint, who blocked it by spinning his baton. Evillustrator took this chance to escape by crashing through a window and tumbling out to the lawn outside.
Black Cat, temporarily stunned by the paint attack, tried to follow the akuma, but he was nowhere to be seen. A familiar whizzing of a yoyo sounded behind him, and he turned around, a relieved smile on his face. "Ladybug!"
"Did he just get out?" Ladybug flashed her partner a quick smile before getting back to business.
"Yes, but I lost track of him." Black Cat squinted at the grass outside.
"Let's try anyway." Ladybug swung herself out of the hole Evillustrator had made, and her partner followed suit.
Meanwhile, Evillustrator was lurking in the woods and finally found a sunny spot for him to fully recharge his pen. He enjoyed the brief peace before he felt a pair of eyes focused on him. Instantly on guard, the akuma crouched and observed the area. He took the pen again and twirled it, before scampering towards a tree and slammed one of his classmates against it, trapping them under his weight.
Nakamura smiled up at him, as if that was a daily occurrence.
"You use sunlight to recharge your pen, huh," she said easily, not ruffled by the fact that she was trapped and Evillustrator's pen was poised to strike at her.
Nakamura didn't know much about Sugaya other than he was a fantastic artist and he went by the name artsy-bean-pole on Ladyblog, but she also knew she had zero chance of escaping from the akuma's clutches now. Might as well enjoy being turned into a piece of art. So, she gave the akuma a lazy smirk, as if she was challenging him. Practically nothing could faze Nakamura.
Or so she thought.
Evillustrator leaned closer, a similar smirk on his face, and whispered, "Your hair's dyed, right?"
Nakamura's eyes widened-
The pen hit her forehead, and Evillustrator stood back to look at her unusually surprised expression.
"Blonde hair does look good on you," Evillustrator mused out loud. "But I wonder what you'd look like in your original hair colour…"
He took out a paintbrush and stroked her hair. Deep brown rippled through Nakamura's previously blonde hair, and Evillustrator blinked, stepping back. Nakamura… looked a bit weird. She suddenly looked more like a normal schoolgirl instead of a reckless rebel. The thought of Nakamura being a sweet, demure student was too weird even for the akuma, and he scoffed, quickly painting blue streaks in her hair, the same colour as her eyes. That looked a bit better.
Kochou's mask appeared over his face. "Evillustrator, if you keep on wasting your time on doing irrelevant things, I will take your powers away," the male voice murmured.
Evillustrator made a face. "Even you're limiting my freedom! The world is literally my canvas, I can do whatever I want!"
"I'm serious," Kochou, threat in his quiet voice. Instantly, Evillustrator's body froze, and he couldn't move even though he struggled too. "Hey!" he yelped.
"That was a warning," Kochou released his grip on Evillustrator. "Now bring me the ladybug and the cat miraculouses!"
"Yes, Kochou-sama," Evillustrator obeyed him. After he had recharged his pen, the akuma leapt away in search for the two superheroes.
Meanwhile, Black Cat and Ladybug were talking to some of the students. The duo had nudged and shot each other glances until Ladybug finally stepped up to talk to Isogai, while Black Cat kept watch. Isogai and Maehara were supporting a third, half-conscious person on their shoulders, with splatters of paint all over their clothes.
"Is he okay?" Ladybug asked.
"Eh, Mimura's fine," Maehara poked the boy's cheek. "He's never been the same ever since Sugaya came barreling in the classroom. Probably too shocked by his appearance."
"Have you seen the akuma?" Ladybug honestly felt like Black Cat owed her for making her ask civilians for information. Thankfully for her, Isogai wasn't exactly a stranger and his natural demeanor made Ladybug feel comfortable (or as comfortable she could get around people).
"Fuwa said she had seen a shadow slip into the forest, and she was positive it was a boy's. So far, most boys are here with us, so it's highly possible the akuma is in the woods," Isogai gestured to the thick, unfamiliar forest that the class saw everyday. None of them had ever entered the forest.
"He can use camouflage," Black Cat mentioned.
"Seems typical for an art-themed supervillain," Maehara sighed. "Good luck fighting him."
Ladybug tilted her head to look at Black Cat, and nodded. He nodded back, and the two prepared to leave. "Stay safe!" Black Cat told them and then he and his partner zoomed off to the woods.
"You take right, I'll take left," Ladybug whispered, and Black Cat hummed in reply. The forest was quiet with only the occasional chirp of a bird and the faint whizzing of Ladybug's yoyo. The shadows casted by the leaves on the ground made the woods more mysterious and imposing.
The sound of a branch snapping sounded behind them, and the duo spun their heads so quickly they nearly twisted their necks, listening intently. Suddenly, Ladybug grabbed Black Cat's collar and yanked him to the side. A rock right next to them instantly became a 2D object. "Watch out," she hissed.
Neither of them could see where Evillustrator was, but they were sure he was near them. Black Cat's eyes snapped left, right, up, down until he caught sight of Evillustrator perched on top of tree, cleverly camouflaged among the numerous leaves. The two made eye contact, and Evillustrator prepared to strike, his pen in his hand again-
Black Cat extended his baton and managed to hit Evillustrator's arm, so he was unable to throw properly. Ladybug sent her yoyo flying at the akuma, hoping to tangle him up, but Evillustrator grabbed the yoyo and Ladybug had to yank the yoyo away from his grasp.
The three became to engage in combat. Evillustrator's pen was mostly charged and he took out a spray can, sending paint flying at the two heroes. They dodged and advanced, hiding behind their spinning yoyo and baton. Evillustrator gritted his teeth as he jumped from tree to tree, trying to avoid his opponents' weapons yet trying to attack at the same time. He couldn't camouflage his suit quickly enough so Ladybug and Black Cat kept on seeing where he was.
Unused to the terrain, the less agile Black Cat tripped on a root, which left him temporarily vulnerable. Ladybug was attacking Evillustrator from the other side and could only look upon in horror. Evillustrator took advantage of it and flung his pen at Black Cat.
The boy scampered up but knew it was too late, his eyes wide and mouth open-
Ladybug leapt in front of Black Cat, arms and legs spread wide as if waiting for an embrace. The pen hit her squarely on the chest and she froze in midair, her determined expression starkly in contrast to the shocked faces Evillustrator's victims using wore. Evillustrator found that surprising, but intriguing.
"Well, that's charming, sacrificing themselves to save their partner," Kochou, who had been watching through Evillustrator's eyes, remarked. Evillustrator noticed there was something weird in his tone, like Kochou had been thinking about something.
"Is something the matter, Kochou-sama?"
There was a moment of silence. "No, it's nothing," Kochou said offhandedly.
"No!" Black Cat screamed, the desperate tone surprising even him, and he looked at the 2D plane that used to be his partner. Upon hearing his voice, Evillustrator's attention snapped to him, readying his pen again. In a fury, Black Cat grabbed his baton and slashed it across Evillustrator's stomach, knocking him backwards.
A glowing outline of a mask appeared on Evillustrator's face. "Yes, get the miraculouses!" Kochou's voice sounded. "Oh, just wait a bit, I'll defeat them both in the end," Evillustrator grinned wickedly.
"You won't!" Black Cat found himself uselessly pronouncing, boiling anger bubbling inside him. He rapidly swung his baton at the akuma with surprising strength. Ladybug had gotten hurt because of his own mistake, and he channeled his guilt and frustration into attacking the akuma. Evillustrator threw his pen again, but it missed the target and hit a nearby tree. It flew back to the akuma as if it was a boomerang.
Black Cat knew he had to find something to bring Ladybug back because only she could purify the akuma and fix the damage. After a quick search on Evillustrator's body, Black Cat could see a small pouch on his belt. Maybe that was where he kept a secret tool.
Black Cat returned to the 2D Ladybug and found her yoyo lying on the dirt ground. She had probably dropped it because she thought it could help him when she couldn't. He tried to use it but his aim was off, plus he had to get away from Evillustrator's attacks at the same time. But after a while, Black Cat decided that using a yoyo wasn't that bad. He could manage to throw the yoyo at a certain angle which made it bounce towards his target. So learning mathematics and angles wasn't that useless.
In a series of quick movements, the yoyo bounced off tree trunks and finally around Evillustrator's waist. Black Cat yanked on the yoyo string and Evillustrator flew towards him. The boy reached out a hand and wrenched the pouch away from the belt. Evillustrator managed to kick him and Black Cat let go of the yoyo, the akuma tumbling backwards.
While the akuma recovered from the fall, Black Cat turned the pouch upside down, and to his relief, a purple eraser fell out. He immediately took it and gently touched Ladybug's forehead. In a purple flash, Ladybug became 3D again and she lost her balance due to being midair, and then she toppled backwards. Black Cat caught her and Ladybug gripped his arm to steady herself. She looked up and saw Black Cat glaring angrily at her, probably mad at her for using herself as a shield. The girl instinctively scratched his chin then picked up her yoyo as if nothing had happened. "Where did he go, Black Cat?"
"Huh?" Black Cat swiveled, but Evillustrator had vanished, the only trace of his existence being the multiple 2D objects that were scattered around them.
"He probably went to recharge his pen," Black Cat mused. "Sunlight is the source of his energy."
"Well, it's time to use my Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw her yoyo in the air and a red and black umbrella fell down. Ladybug looked at it for a second before she whispered her plan in Black Cat's ear. He nodded to show he understood.
"Alright, let's find that akuma!" The two superheroes leapt through the woods, carefully searching for Evillustrator.
Evillustrator had fully recharged his pen when he heard a rustle of leaves behind him. Before he could turn around, a snapping of a branch sounded on his right. Evillustrator stopped, not knowing which sound to investigate first. He chose the latter and flung his pen at the sound.
Black Cat crouched behind a rock and the rock turned 2D. He immediately slid away to a new hiding spot. His goal wasn't to get his pen or escape from the akuma, he had to make sure Evillustrator used up all the energy in his pen. Using the same method, he dodged Evillustrator's attacks and the akuma gritted his teeth in frustration. But yet, he continued to throw the pen at Black Cat, his tactic never changing.
Black Cat threw himself behind a bush and sneakily looked up at the trees. It's almost time.
Ladybug had concealed herself in the leaves of a tree, and she could only rely on her partner to distract Evillustrator and not let him see her. She gripped her yoyo in one hand, her Lucky Charm in another. Ladybug had to admit it was a bit scary to see Black Cat being so close to danger, but she was confident in his abilities, secretly cheering every time Evillustrator's pen missed the superhero. She supposed that bit of protectiveness was normal.
Black Cat kept his eyes fixed on the blue gauge on the pen. It kept on lowering and lowering until it was on the verge of becoming empty. Abandoning his strategy of hiding, Black Cat flashed Ladybug a quick salute and he charged for Evillustrator.
Surprised, Evillustrator stumbled backwards, and threw his pen. It hit a leaf above Black Cat's head, and both boys' eyes widened when they saw the blue completely leave the gauge. It was only then when Evillustrator realized he was lured into a trap. But alas, he was too late.
Above them, among the trees, yoyo strings criss-crossed into a net, and Ladybug leapt out of a tree and opened the umbrella, her figure covering the sun. The umbrella landed on the net, its handle poking through, and the shadow covering Evillustrator and his pen, so he wasn't able to charge his pen. The panicked akuma tried to go in another direction, but Black Cat was already waiting for him.
He knocked the pen out of the akuma's hand and crushed his foot on it. The akuma fluttered out, and Ladybug leapt down from her perch on the tree. She quickly purified the akuma and used Miraculous Ladybug, so everything was back to normal.
Ladybug and Black Cat looked up at the glowing, flying swarm of ladybugs with satisfied smiles. Without even looking at each other, they did their usual fist bump.
The purple magic melted off Sugaya and the confused boy looked up, surprised to find himself in the woods. He saw Ladybug and Black Cat, and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "Damn the akumas," he muttered.
"You need a lift out of here?" Black Cat leaned against his baton.
Sugaya waved his hand, not wanting to bother the superheroes further. "I'm fine. I'll somehow find my way back-" he slammed into a tree, which emitted a quiet "ouch" from him.
Silence.
Ladybug and Black Cat exchanged a look, and in silent agreement, they picked Sugaya up and leapt towards the 3-E building, despite the boy's protests.
Most of the students had gathered in front of the building, clapping when they saw Sugaya and the heroes appear.
"Sugaya! You're back!" Okajima exclaimed joyfully, and the two heroes and Sugaya were somewhat relieved Okajima chose to care about his friend first instead of his idol.
"Sugaya-kun!" Aguri called as she dashed out of the building. She was visibly happy to see her student.
"I'm really sorry, Yukimura-sensei!" Sugaya yelled back. "And thank you for actually caring about me!"
"It's not your fault!" Aguri replied. "And it's a teacher's job to watch out for their students."
Everybody in 3-E felt grateful for her. Good teachers were hard to find, especially when they were in a famous cram school where grades were everything.
"Hey, so we don't get a free ride from the superheroes," Nakamura joked as she joined the students praising their superheroes. She casually twisted a strand of blonde hair around and brushed a stray leaf off her dress.
"Nagisa!" Sugino was glad to see his best friend walking behind Nakamura, both of them having emerged from the woods. "What happened to you?'
"I hid the forest," Nagisa shot Nakamura a quick look. "I met up with Nakamura-san after the akuma was defeated, and we found our way out."
Meanwhile, Maehara confidently sidled up to Ladybug, a charming smirk on his face. Here we go again, Ladybug thought, seeing Okano's frustrated expression behind him. But before Maehara could even utter a word, Okajima pulled him back by the shoulder and hissed, "Hey! D-don't bother her! She's totally not into playboys like you!" A little red flush appeared on Okajima's face because he was being so close to his crush.
That's actually respectful of him, Ladybug marvelled as Okajima stepped back, trying hard not to look at her. She originally thought he was jealous because Maehara had wanted to flirt with her, but Okajima hadn't made a move on her after Maehara went away.
A beep sounded from her earrings, and Ladybug's hand flew to them. "Two dots left. We should leave," Black Cat said and gently touched her wrist to beckon her over. Nakamura and Fuwa made an annoying ooohing sound upon seeing them.
As they got closer, Black Cat leaned down and whispered, "Please don't sacrifice yourself for me again. I'm not worth it."
Ladybug's lips parted in surprise, but before she could reply, Black Cat was already leaving. A slight frown on her face, she said goodbye to the civilians and hopped away to detransform. But there was one thing that reverberated through her mind, like the sound of a bell becoming louder and louder when it echoes in a small room.
I'm not worth it.
What made he think like that?
After the akuma attack, Aguri decided to give them some free time before continuing their lessons. Sugaya apologized to the class for causing trouble, and they all said they didn't mind.
"Hey, Chiba, did I attack you?" Sugaya suddenly asked.
"Well, not really."
"That's a shame," Sugaya said but he still smiled. "I really want to see your eyes…"
Chiba self-consciously tugged his bangs over his eyes again. That topic again.
"But I know you'll never let me," Sugaya continued. "So I'll just sit here and wonder about it."
Meanwhile, Mimura had picked up the piece of paper Sugaya had drawn on. He completely ignored Sugaya's low marks, and focused on the wave drawing.
"This is really cool, Sugaya-kun," Mimura praised as he approached Sugaya. "Ah, thank you," he replied, a little sheepish that everyone suddenly began to compliment his art.
"Nakamura, what had happened to you?" Hayami asked. "I couldn't see you at all."
"The same can be said for you," Nakamura continued to twirl her hair. Hayami found that a bit weird, as Nakamura usually didn't do that. "Well, I hid the forest but the akuma found me anyway, and I got turned into… art or whatever you like to call it. When Ladybug revived everything, I turned back to normal, stumbled upon Nagisa-kun, and went back here. How about you?"
"I hid around the building," Hayami lied. "After the initial attack in the classroom, I figured the akuma wouldn't come back. And is there something wrong with your hair?"
"Oh," the girl ran her finger through her hair again. "Nothing."
But if Nakamura was honest, the fact that Sugaya knew she dyed her hair was bothering her a bit. Nakamura didn't like the brown she was born with. It was too simple, and well, boring. She had dyed her hair blonde once she started going to middle school, and she liked it way better. It symbolized her rebellious and bold self instead of her elementary school genius self.
And no one, not even the observant Hayami, noticed her hair was dyed. But somehow Sugaya did. Maybe his art skills extended to hair styling skills?
None of it mattered anyway. Nakamura gave a flippant toss of her hair. Blonde hair or brown hair, she was still her. The confident, sassy, bold girl everyone had grown accustomed to, and the person she had chosen to accept.
"One of my students was akumatized today," she said softly. "He's very talented at art, but he thinks nobody appreciates his skills."
"Well, this society does think art is rather impractical," he thought out loud, blunting expressing his opinions. His companion glared at him. "What?"
"You'll really hurt him if you say that to his face," she scolded him lightly.
He marvelled at how much closer they had grown ever since they met almost a year ago. At first, she didn't talk, let alone reprimand him.
He stroked his chin, and continued, "But art has a lot of potential. Creativity can greatly help the society. We need fresh, new ideas from youngsters."
"That's right, but unfortunately, not everyone thinks the same way you do," she sighed. "I do wish I can be more capable though, because he still got akumatized even though I had tried to comfort him."
Silence fell over the duo. Through their conversations, he could see she was a passionate teacher filled with care for her students. "You're not a bad teacher," he replied.
She sheepishly scratched her head. "Unlike you, I'm not very smart or knowledgable. You know," she grinned at him. "You'll be a fine teacher. You know so many things, it's almost like you're several people rolled into one."
"But that ended badly," he muttered, recalling how his first student had betrayed him.
"I do wish the students have a good teacher to look after them after I'm gone," she whispered, hiding her face in her clipboard.
"Hmm? What was that?" he asked, even though he had heard every word.
"N-nothing," she stammered, not willing to reveal more.
A teacher… The man recalled the days when his ex-student eagerly learned everything from him. He wondered what had gone wrong in his education that made him turn his back. Perhaps he hadn't acknowledged him enough, like how the society ignored the young artist.
The door suddenly opened and through the transparent wall, he saw another man yelling at the woman. A frown appeared on the patient's face, and he scrunched his fingers into a fist. She quickly bowed her head and exited, sending him a last look before she did so.
Can I… be a good teacher?
"What did you mean by that?"
That was first thing Ladybug asked the moment she met up with Black Cat for their night patrol. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, but she wasn't mad. Well, at least not yet.
By "that", Black Cat assumed she was talking about his "I'm not worth it" statement. His tail flapped uncomfortably.
"Well, you're Ladybug, and you have the power to purify akumas and erase damage. I don't. So that's why you're more important than me-"
"Wait," Ladybug cut in, eyes flashing liquid green. "I'm not more important than you. Neither of us is more important. We're a team, right?"
"I-"
Ladybug continued to say, "I won't be anything without you. I'll never be able to defeat akumas if you're not here. So even though I purify akumas, I would have never been able to break the akumatized item on my own." Her expression softened. "So please don't say you're not worth it."
"Thank you for saying that," Black Cat said honestly after a pause as her words sank in.
"Geez, you're a moron if you think you're not worth it…" Ladybug muttered under her breath. Out of habit, she petted his head again and also out of habit, his cat ears sprang up.
"But I get really worried when you endanger yourself," Black Cat murmured, trying hard not to purr. Once he became accustomed to it, Ladybug's head petting was rather comfortable. Almost too comfortable for him.
"I get worried when you do that to," Ladybug stopped petting his head, knowing there had to a limit. Happiness bubbled inside her when Black Cat said he cared about both her civilian identity and her superhero identity. He couldn't possibly know who she was, and he was probably as nice to everyone else, but she still liked it.
"Well, we'll just have to protect each other," Black Cat grinned up at Ladybug, and for the hundredth time, she found herself wholly admiring both his (ridiculously cute) smile and his personality. "That's what partners do, right?"
The 13th of March was an ordinary day.
It should be an ordinary day, that is.
Days had passed since the Evillustrator incident. Spring break was approaching, and the students were excited for their long-awaited rest.
Ladybug and Black Cat finished their patrol and brought some cold drinks from the vending machine. They sat on a rooftop, enjoying the silence and the dark.
The moon was big and bright, and the two superheroes admired its beauty like they always did. In the distance, a light in a building extinguished. The cool wind blew through their hair. Everything was quiet and peaceful like time itself had stopped.
And then, without warning, the moon exploded.
The man crouched next to a woman's body, his white tentacles waving in the air. He watched as her body went limp, and for the first time in quite a while, there was a gaping hole in his heart. The overwhelming feeling of loss, regret, and guilt.
You said… you want me to teach your students…
The man was silent, the sound of the bomb triggering echoing in his mind. Because of his incompetence, a kind, compassionate soul had left the world. He stared at her lifeless body, and made his mind up.
I'll do it, Aguri. I'll be their teacher. I'll mentor them and accept their strengths and weaknesses. It's the least I can do.
He stood up, quickly wrote a note, and zoomed away at Mach speed.
He didn't see how Ladybug and Black Cat frantically searched the city for an nonexistent akuma that had caused the moon's explosion.
Nor did he see a young girl slipping through the ruins, crying for her sister who could never answer her call.
A/N: This super long chapter was a pain to write. I had thought of dividing it but it just doesn't feel complete when it's in two parts. So please bear with this extra long chapter.
Now replies to reviews!
Fumiko Matsubara: I feel like I'm always being cruel to Okajima because canonically he likes Hayami and that's in the way of ChibaHaya… now in this AU I feel even worse for him. You'll see why ;) And thank you so much for reviewing and I SIMPLY LOVE YOUR ART WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE YOU (okay that sounds really mushy). And seriously, if you haven't done so already, please please check out her tumblr blog fumiko-matsubara which is filled with a ton of squishy kids and it's so sweet you'll get diabetes!
foxchick1: Thank you! I'm glad you love it!
Autistic-Grizzly: Hmm, this story is mainly about Chiba and Hayami, so currently, I'm not adding any other miraculous holders other. Sorry to disappoint, but I did have a vague idea of writing a spinoff fic where the other kids get miraculouses. I also think Karma suits the butterfly miraculous well.
Brindlstorm: Hey, thanks! And yes, they will continue to assassinate Korosensei, and he will still be their teacher.
KumihoSei: Thank you! I really like it when silent readers review, but don't feel pressured to review every chapter!
DreamDuelist: While I do headcanon Chiba and Hayami being good at music, they might not actually sing together… but the idea of them in the opening is too attractive lol. Knowing Chiba, he would probably make a slightly punk version of it (or not so slightly). And I can picture them during the part where Marinette and Adrien cross over to find the other's identity. It's super cute. For that part about Chiba's staff skills, I didn't plan to make that his specialty, but maybe if the chance arises I'll insert a cameo about it.
Guest: Thank you for the comment! I actually get pretty afraid that Chiba and Hayami are being a bit OOC.
Also, I'm hosting ChibaHaya Week 2018 from the 12th of July to the 18th of July. I have only received a few prompts so far so maybe you can submit some? Thanks!
There are so many implications of relationships in this chapter ;) And I think some of you saw Sugaya's akuma coming because Nathaniel's also an artist and he was akumatized into Evillustrator too.
I also kind of messed up Sugaya's backstory. Canonically, he drew a huge wave on the blackboard and drew an elaborate drawing on the other side of his test paper, but I forgot to use references and made Sugaya draw the heroes on the blackboard and the wave on his test.
And if you watched Ep 13 of Season 2, you'll know that a scene in this chapter was inspired by the episode :)
Thanks for reading! Please review! :D